Bangladesh Holds Second National Consultation on REDD+ Readiness Roadmap

On 17 January, 2012, the Bangladesh Forest Department, with the support of UNDP and FAO country offices, held a consultation workshop at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel, Dhaka, to share and discuss progress on the national REDD+ Readiness Roadmap. A technical advisory team consisting of national and international experts in the field of forests and climate change described the progress made since the first national consultation meeting on 25 October 2011.

As noted by the Hon. Mesbahul Alam, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, REDD+ offers an opportunity for Bangladesh to show how the country can make a significant contribution to mitigating climate change, at the same time as delivering real benefits to rural communities through healthier forests and more participatory management.

More than 80 participants, representing a wide spectrum of government and civil society stakeholders, attended the event on 17 January. Mr Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmad, Chief Conservator of Forests, hosted the event, with the participation of Mr. Stefan Priesner, Country Director, UNDP and Mr. Dominique Bourgeon, FAO representative.

The technical advisory team presented the outcomes of the series of sub-national workshops that have brought various government and civil society stakeholders together with forest-dependent people and their representatives. These workshops use group discussions to explore the key issues facing the forest sector in the respective locales, and to assess potential strategies for moving forward. Further such workshops will be held in the coming two months as the Roadmap development process nears completion.

These consultations are all facilitated with the help of the three working groups – on Strategy, Safeguards and MRV –from government, academia and civil society organizations. The safeguards working group oversees workshop processes and ensures full and effective participation. The outcomes of the discussions are being developed by the Strategy working group into recommendations for the Roadmap, under the coordination of Professor Ansarul Karim.

The MRV Working Group is currently developing a comprehensive action plan on REL/RLs and forest monitoring. Matieu Henry is providing capacity building and technical support to the MRV group. Mariam Akhter is coordinating the MRV group. The objective is to facilitate the development of a nationally tailored and owned REDD+ roadmap and the MRV action plan.

For further information on the Bangladesh REDD+ Readiness Roadmap, including full minutes and participant lists from the ongoing consultations, contact Ben Vickers at ben.vickers@silvestrum.com.